For example, in a card trick with the magician on stage, when he/she wants to palm a card, they will be in the middle of some patter and will suddenly look at a member of the audience and say "Remember this card," while holding up a card.
At that point, everyone in the audience is looking at either the card being held up or the victim in the audience. They are misdirected so that the magician can do whatever he/she wants with the other hand (palm a card, rearrange the pack, turn a card over, etc.).